The Untold Truth Of Alan Wong

Alan Wong was Born in Tokyo in 1956 to his Japanese mother and half-Hawaiian, half-Chinese father (via Beyond the Lines). He lived on a military base in Japan until moving to Hawaii at the age of five. Wong started his culinary career at 15 by working on a pineapple plantation. He then attended the Kapi'olani Community College Culinary Arts program in Honolulu. From there, he went on to apprentice at Greenbrier Hotel in West Virginia, before moving to New York to work under the great Chef Andre Soltner at Lutèce. To this day, Wong considers Chef Soltner to be his mentor, and the driving force behind his knowledge of great cooking.

In 1991, Wong took that passion and the knowledge he'd acquired and teamed up with 11 other like-minded chefs to launch Hawaii Regional Cuisine (via Aloha Hawaii). The organization created a new American regional cuisine that featured locally grown ingredients from Hawaii, and highlighted the multitude of ethnic dishes and styles that could be derived from those ingredients. Launched several years before the "farm to table" explosion, Hawaii Regional Cuisine was ahead of the curve. The founders wanted to focus solely on locally sourced ingredients, featuring local farmers and fishermen. For the very first time, thanks to Wong and his fellow chefs, real attention was being directed to the great cuisine of the Hawaiian islands.

According to Eater, Alan Wong's in Honolulu was a favorite restaurant of Barack Obama and his family during his presidency. They often dined there whenever the Hawaiian native would return to his home state. On one such occasion in 2010, Alan Wong humbly expressed to Honolulu Magazine, "It's not the first time I've cooked for the President. But every time, it's a chicken skin moment." It seems even the best of the best can get a little intimidated and star-struck now and again.

President Obama even invited Wong to cook  a traditional luau feast for the annual White House Congressional picnic in 2009. HuffPost reports that the celebration was held by the president for members of Congress and their families. At the time, Wong told U.S. News & World Report, "This event gives us a chance to showcase to all Americans the Hawaiian contemporary cuisine that is based on fresh local ingredients and which blends all of the island's many ethnic influences."

Eater reports that in 2012, then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton selected Wong as part of the Diplomatic Culinary Partnership's Initiative American Chef Corps. Secretary Clinton explained that duties of the Chef Corps included preparing meals for visiting dignitaries and engaging in cultural exchanges while traveling abroad. During a video address, she remarked, "Food isn't traditionally thought of as a diplomatic tool, but I think it's the oldest diplomatic tool. Sharing a meal can help people transcend boundaries and build bridges in a way that nothing else can."

For 25 years, Alan Wong's Restaurant was a Hawaii institution. Along with the flagship King Street location and spinoff Pineapple Room in Oahu, he also operated Alan Wong's Amasia at the Grand Wailea Resort in Maui. His eateries also included Alan Wong's Hawaii, located in Tokyo Disneyland, and Alan Wong's Shanghai (via Honolulu Star-Advertiser). Sadly, however, his restaurant empire began to shrink in recent years, and due to declining business as a result of COVID-19, his last remaining spot, the original Alan Wong's Restaurant, shuttered for good (via Honolulu Star-Advertiser).

Upon closing his King Street location last November, Wong, forever selfless, posted on his website, "I wish every restaurant and business, every person having a difficult time today, best wishes and keep the faith and hope. Please continue to support our local agriculture: farmers, ranchers, fishermen, producers, & businesses who remain open. The silver lining is that we will learn from this, and reopen the doors for something else, in a better time."

While Alan Wong may not have his own Food Network show (Food Network executives, get on this, please!), he certainly has sprinkled in a few TV appearances here and there. According to IMDb, he appeared as a guest judge on the Season 2 finale of "Top Chef." In 2005, he guest starred on Anthony Bourdain's show, "No Reservations." He has also been featured on the Food Network's popular show, "The Best Thing I Ever Ate," not to mention the handful of documentaries and specials in his repertoire. His special, "From Roots to Recipes with Culinary Chef Alan Wong and Ed Kenney," aired in December 2021 on PBS Hawai'i.

It really is a shame that he isn't on television more regularly, because he is an absolute delight to watch. Humble to the core, Wong is always impressing everyone both behind the camera, and those sharing his spotlight with his flare for creating beautiful Hawaiian dishes, and his seemingly effortless culinary talent.

Is Alan Wong the richest chef in the world?  According to Wealthy Gorilla, Wong has a net worth of $1.1 billion, which would make him wealthier than more familiar food industry icons like Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsay, Thomas Keller and Wolfgang Puck. To many it would be a shock that would Wong would beat out all of the celebrity chefs one might expect to hold this title, and, in fact, this distinction might just be a case of mistaken identity. Jetset Magazine argues that this isn't accurate information, pointing to the fact that Wong is sometimes confused with confirmed billionaire Allan Wong, founder of electronic gaming behemoth VTech Holdings.

As much as we respect Chef Wong's humble beginnings, hard work, and passion for his culinary artistry, his numerous achievements probably didn't push his bank account past the billion dollar mark, and earn him the status of the world's wealthiest chef.